


The Next Generation of Time Travelers

by whatsername263



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 14:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18033077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsername263/pseuds/whatsername263
Summary: Instead of Future Lucy & Wyatt coming back to save Rufus ... what if it was Lucy & Wyatt's children?





	The Next Generation of Time Travelers

**Author's Note:**

> This won't be the adorable Flynn & Amy (even though I love them).  
> I ship Lyatt, but I love Flynn and I wanted something where he doesn't die - therefore, no little Flynn.  
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> (SIDE NOTE: I checked this at least a dozen times, but I'm sure I missed some typos. Sorry in advance.)  
> (DISCLAIMER: I don't own Timeless, it just owns me.)

Lucy was sure she’d hit her emotional limit in Chinatown. Her mother’s dying regret of not introducing her to Rittenhouse sooner had stung - but it was nothing compared to the gut-wrenching pain of seeing Jiya sobbing over Rufus’ dead body. Follow that up with the bizarre mix of emotions that accompanied Wyatt’s confession? Nothing could top that.

Or so she thought.

When a second Lifeboat popped into existence beside their own time machine, Lucy’s heart nearly stopped.

“What the hell?” Wyatt stumbled to his feet with Lucy right on his heels.

Lucy pushed past her friends to stand beside Wyatt. He already had his gun aimed at the hatch, ready for whatever was inside. Lucy held her breath as the door slid aside, revealing two young women. Neither of them appeared to be armed, but Wyatt kept his gun trained on them.

“We come in peace!” one of them exclaimed with a smile, holding her hands up.

“Really sis? _That’s_ your opening line?”

Lucy looked between the two women, not even trying to hide her shock. She could practically feel the confusion radiating from her team behind her. The women appeared to be in their early 20s. Both of them had dark brown hair. One had short hair, cut so it barely hung below her jawline; the other had hair longer than Lucy’s, dangling halfway down her back.

“What?” the short-haired girl smirked; the look was oddly familiar to Lucy, but she shoved that feeling aside for now.

“Who are you?” Wyatt demanded, his finger hovering closer to the trigger.

“That’s going to be hard to believe,” the long-haired girl sighed. “But bear with us, okay? We’re not Rittenhouse. We’re here to help you save Rufus. So if you could lower your gun, that would be super awesome. We’re jumping down now, okay?”

Wyatt hesitated before sharing a glance with Lucy. The historian shrugged nervously - they weren’t armed, may as well see what they knew. He seemed to understand, and lowered his gun - but didn’t go so far as to return it to the holster on his hip.

“Wow they even did that back then? Impressive.”

“Sis!” the long-haired girl scolded her sister. “Knock it off. You’re making this weirder and more confusing than it already is.”

The girl mumbled her apology as the duo jumped to the ground. When they were finally on the same level as the others, Lucy noticed the amber colored eyes of the short-haired girl and the bright blue eyes of the other girl. Another jolt of familiarity sparked through Lucy but once again, she pushed it aside. There were bigger issues to deal with at the moment.

“Not to rush introductions or anything,” Agent Christopher stepped forward. “But you seem to know us. And I think I speak for the group when I say we would feel a hell of a lot better if we knew what the hell is going on.”

“Right, okay -” the short-haired girl took a deep breath, suddenly turning serious. “It’s going to be a bit of a shock, but you all gave - or will give? - us the orders to say this so … my name is Elizabeth. Lizzy for short, if you want.”

Lucy felt Wyatt tense beside her.

“And my name is Amy.”

Lucy’s heart definitely stopped when she heard that name. And judging how rigid Wyatt was beside her - he was coming to the same realization as her. She managed to turn and meet his eye, finding her own shock mirrored in his expression.

“Yeah,” Elizabeth smiled. “I think they got it.”

“Got … what?” Connor asked suspiciously.

“Elizabeth was his mom’s name,” Amy explained, pointing at Wyatt. “And I believe you all know where my name came from.”

“You’re …” Jiya paused, eyes dancing between the four people in front of here. “You’re their kids?”

“And your adopted nieces,” Elizabeth grinned, earning an elbow from her sister.

“I think they’ve had enough information overload for a lifetime,” Amy cautioned her sister. “Cool it.”

“Oh come on,” Elizabeth smirked at her sister once again. “This is fun.”

“Well,” Flynn cleared his throat. “At least we know who takes after who.”

“I take that as a compliment Flynn.”

The former NSA agent rolled his eyes at Elizabeth’s response. And that’s when something finally clicked in Wyatt’s head, and he rounded on Flynn.

“Did you know this would happen?” he demanded. “You couldn’t have fucking _warned_  us?”

“As I have explained a thousand times before Lucy was purposely vague in the journal,” Flynn responded with a long-suffering sigh. “She didn’t write everything. And I’m assuming this is why.”

“Alright you two,” Agent Christopher stepped between them. “Stand down. This is new territory for all of us so let’s just hear what they have to say.”

“Where are you from?” Lucy finally found her voice. “When are you from?”

“Sorry mo - Lucy,” Amy smiled. Lucy didn’t miss that she almost called her ‘mom.’ “That falls under the information we aren’t allowed to give you. Your rules, not ours.”

“Why?”

“You being here doesn’t already qualify as knowing too much?” Jiya asked.

“Worth the risk if it means getting Uncle Rufus back,” Elizabeth explained. Jiya’s eyes went wide at ‘Uncle Rufus.’ “Long story short -- there is a way to cross over into your own timeline. But you only get one trip because the side effects are too much if you do it twice. And we all know what mom’s one trip had to be, so we volunteered for this mission.”

“What do we know about Lucy’s one trip?” Agent Christopher eyed the group in front of her.

“Oh shit,” Elizabeth grumbled. “My bad. Thought that was public knowledge at this point.”

“About half the public is aware of that story,” Flynn informed them. “Hadn’t really gotten around to that just yet with the drama we’ve dealt with lately.”

“What story?” Agent Christopher repeated, clearly agitated about being out of the loop.

“Christmas Eve 2014,” Flynn admitted. “Lucy showed up at a bar and gave me the journal. That’s how all of this started.”

“And since dad won’t let her travel without him - they both already used up their one trip,” Elizabeth explained. “Aunt Jiya and Flynn used up their trip on a different attempt to save Uncle Rufus, but it didn’t go as planned so boom. Here we are.”

“Lizzy. We agreed. Use their names. We’re freaking them out bad enough as is.”

“Spent my whole life calling them mom or dad, can’t shut that off in a day.” Elizabeth glared lightheartedly at her sister before turning to her parents. “Sorry for the heart attack but again - you gave us this order. Or will give.”

“How many times have you two time traveled?” Wyatt looked between the girls.

“A fair few,” Amy grinned. “Family business. Not like you can hire many outside people for missions like these.”

“So we’re still fighting Rittenhouse that far in the future?” Agent Christopher asked.

“It’s complicated,” Amy hesitated for a moment before continuing. “We can’t reveal too much - but you know how deeply Rittenhouse is embedded into American history. Let’s just say it’s going to take more than a handful of missions to snuff them all out. We leave the dangerous missions to the soldiers, but there’s a surprising amount we can do from a research standpoint.”

“And after a _lot_ of research we think we found a way to get Rufus back,” Elizabeth continued for her sister. “So we’re breaking a few time travel rules and for _once_ we’re doing something to benefit the team.”

“Breaking a few rules?” Jiya quirked an eyebrow at them.

“Well after dad’s joyride in the Lifeboat last year you all put some rules in place,” Elizabeth explained, breezing past Wyatt’s guilty look at the mention of that mission. “You all agreed not to not use the Lifeboat for personal gain, right?” When Lucy and Wyatt nodded, she continued. “At least until the mission was over. That was before you realized how deep Rittenhouse goes. And we’ve made a hell of a lot of progress - seriously, it’s going to be great when you realize just how much - so we’re finally doing something for the team.”

“How?”

“This is the part you won’t like as much,” Amy looked guiltily at her parents. “We kind of already have a plan in motion.”

“Wait, what?” Wyatt looked between his daughters, confusion and worry evident on his face. “How?”

“Well we couldn’t exactly just show up and dump Rufus on your doorstep, could we?” Elizabeth laughed. “To keep the timeline as intact as possible -- we dropped off our soldier in Chinatown around the same time you guys arrived.”

“ _Your_ soldier?” Flynn questioned.

“I know we’ve already given you information overload but I promise this next part is the last of it,” Amy sighed. “It’s our brother. He’s currently saving Rufus.”

Lucy’s knees finally buckled, but Wyatt managed to catch her with an arm around her waist. “Alright let’s move this to the kitchen.”

The group migrated into the kitchen. Wyatt helped Lucy into one of the chairs and and claimed the seat beside her. Despite whatever the hell was going on between them at the moment, Lucy was thankful he kept an arm draped over the back of her chair - he radiated warmth that made her feel safe. She may be unsure of where she stood in his life, but he was still a source of comfort for her.

Their guests from the future sat across from Lucy and Wyatt, between Jiya and Agent Christopher. Flynn and Connor stood at the head of the table, leaning against the counter.

“So do these two have any other surprise kids we should be aware of?” Flynn asked.

“You even warned us how much of a smartass you would be but damn,” Amy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. “No. Sherwin is our only other sibling.”

“Sherwin?” Wyatt’s voice cracked at that name.

“Of course,” Elizabeth grinned.

When Wyatt was too shell-shocked to explain, Amy told the team about Wyatt’s grandfather. Lucy placed a hand on Wyatt’s knee under the table and gave it a comforting squeeze while Amy talked. Blue met amber, and Lucy could see a thousand emotions brewing in his eyes. She was sure he could see the same in her. _Kids - three of them. How was this possible? How do they get back to that point with each other?_

“Uh, should we give them a minute?” Elizabeth leaned over to ask her sister. “They’re doing that silent conversation thing again.”

“Actually I think the rest of us should give the four of you a minute,” Agent Christopher answered before anybody else could speak. “Just come find us when you’re ready.”

She led the rest of the team down the hall to Connor’s room, leaving the Preston-Logan family sitting in awkward silence.

“So you can’t tell us what year you come from,” Wyatt spoke up once he heard the door close down the hall. “What can you tell us?”

“Not much unfortunately,” Amy sighed. “Us being here is already a bit too much, but the risk is worth it to get Uncle Rufus back.”

“Plus this means you don’t have to struggle with what to name us when we’re born,” Elizabeth joked, earning another elbow to the ribs from her sister. “What? Just trying to lighten the mood. They need it after the past few weeks they’ve had.”

“Uh … how much do you know about that?” Lucy asked nervously.

“Enough,” Amy answered with a guilty smile. “Between mission reports and stories from you two, we know things aren’t exactly great at the moment. But we also have heard from both of you how you really feel right now - even though you haven’t exactly told each other.”

“So you’re future selves thought this might be the kick in the ass you needed,” Elizabeth finished for her sister.

“Forgive my sister, she tends to speak before she thinks.”

Hearing these two argue like she and Amy used to, Lucy couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief. It was also a weight off her shoulders to know Wyatt was just as confused as she was - and still had feelings for her. Figuring out the mess that was their lives wouldn’t be easy, but if that road took them to the two women in front of them - it was worth it. She already felt a fierce protectiveness over them both, and her son she had yet to meet.

“No it’s okay,” Lucy finally managed to crack a smile. “I’m kind of used to it.”

She felt Wyatt let out a huff of laughter. “I feel like I should be offended by that.”

“There they are,” Elizabeth grinned. “They may be a bit younger but they’re still mom and dad.”

“We really are sorry for the surprise,” Amy leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. “But we figured you’d forgive us if it meant saving Rufus.”

“Are you going to tell us how you’re managing to do that?” Wyatt asked, then added as an after thought: “And why the hell we let you take on such a dangerous mission?”

The girls shared a knowing glance and smiled.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Elizabeth grinned. “Just a déjà vu moment.”

Wyatt looked puzzled while Lucy held back a smile. She could imagine their future selves had tried to talk the girls out of such a dangerous career path, but it had clearly (thankfully) failed.

“Anyway,” Amy steered the conversation back on track. “We’ll explain the plan when the rest of them join us. Then we’ll go pick Rufus and Sherwin up and bring them back here. We just have to let our Lifeboat charge for a bit.”

“Can you tell us how you learned to fly that thing?” Lucy asked.

“That’s not the Lifeboat you’re used to,” Elizabeth explained. “Aunt Jiya and Connor made a few dozen upgrades over the years. Ours is a bit easier to fly.”

“What do we need to know about Rittenhouse?” Lucy felt Wyatt’s muscles tense at the question. He was bracing for bad news, and judging from the look on their daughters’ faces - they were about to deliver some.

“There’s only one thing we’re allowed to tell you,” Amy sighed. “And I’m sorry you have to hear this from us. But you said you need to hear this.”

“Jessica isn’t pregnant,” Elizabeth continued. “She’s lying to manipulate you.”

Wyatt’s shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Lucy gave his knee another comforting squeeze, but remained silent while he processed the news. The sisters shared a guilty look, and excused themselves to retrieve the rest of the group and give them a moment alone.

“Wyatt?” Lucy asked quietly as the girls disappeared down the hall.

“I’m okay,” he assured her. “You were right. Of course you were right. I should have listened.”

“No, Wyatt-”

“It’s okay,” he finally met her eyes. Lucy’s heart broke when she saw the tears he was fighting to hold back. “Somewhere I knew it was a lie, but I ignored it. And look where it got us. Look what it _cost_ us. I should have let her go the moment you guys found those damn pictures.”

He wiped a hand across his eyes and took another deep breath.

“Hey,” she twisted in the chair to face him, her hands coming up to frame his face. “It’s okay. She was your wife. Nobody is going to blame you for trying to make that work.”

“ _Everybody_ in this damn bunker should hate me right now,” he sighed. “You especially.”

“Wyatt stop. Listen to me. Yes, I am upset. And yes, we clearly have a lot to discuss. But I don’t hate you. Never could. You did what you had to do. We’ll talk more later once things calm down but I don’t hate you. Nobody in here does.”

Wyatt turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand that was still resting on his cheek. Lucy's heart fluttered at the simple action.

“We take this one step at a time,” Lucy continued as he turned to meet her eyes once again. “First, we save Rufus. Then we talk. No more secrets, no more running away. Deal?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The sound of footsteps alerted them to the return of their team, so Lucy returned her hands to her lap while Wyatt moved his arm from the back of her chair to drape over her shoulders.

“You two good?” Agent Christopher asked hesitantly as everybody shuffled back into the kitchen.

The duo nodded, and turned their attention to Amy and Elizabeth.

“Fill us in on the plan,” Wyatt ordered.

Amy took the lead, explaining what was going to happen. Sherwin was already back in Chinatown, meeting up with Rufus while the Time Team searched for era-appropriate clothes. To keep the timeline (mostly) intact - Sherwin was convincing Rufus to take a bulletproof vest and wear it under his shirt. He would say nothing to the team - so they wouldn’t know anything different was happening.

“Aunt Jiya told Sherwin something only Uncle Rufus would know so he knows Sherwin is on his side,” Elizabeth explained before Wyatt could ask. “Plus he kind of looks like you. Like a lot. So that helps.”

Rufus was warned what would happen if he didn’t take the vest, and was told to essentially fake his own death. Sherwin would find him once the team left, and meet up with his sisters at a rendezvous point.

“Once our ship is charged we will pick them up and bring them both back here,” Amy finished. “We’re sorry we couldn’t erase the memory of him dying. But in order to keep the timeline as close to the original as possible it was necessary. That mission was kind of a turning point for all of you. It put you on the path that leads to the future we know, and we have to preserve that.”

“Won’t the future still be vastly different for you thought?” Lucy was still trying to piece the complexities of time travel together in her head. “If Rufus is here then the next however many years will be nothing you remember.”

“Yeah but that’s okay,” Amy smiled. “You guys won’t have to go the next several years without Rufus. We grew up on stories of him. Now when we get back he’ll actually just be there. He’ll have way different memories of us, but that’s okay. It’s your pain we’re here to erase.”

“Thank you,” Jiya finally said, tears in her eyes. “I just … thank you.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Elizabeth said, placing a comforting hand on Jiya’s shoulder. “We know how much he means to you. To all of you. After all you’ve given - and will give - in the fight against Rittenhouse, it’s time you finally got something in return.”

“So what do you need us to do?” Flynn asked.

“Just make sure to stay safe once he’s back,” Amy looked around the group. “Every single one of you is important in this fight. And you had all better be there when we get back to our own time.”

“We’ll try our best,” Wyatt promised.

“How long does that thing need to charge?” Connor asked, pointing at the upgraded Lifeboat.

“Not much longer,” Elizabeth shrugged. “You and Aunt Jiya are welcome to check it out, by the way. Maybe get a head start on upgrades to your Lifeboat.”

Connor was speeding away before Elizabeth had even finished her sentence. Jiya followed a heartbeat later, a spark of excitement returning to her eyes.

“Can I ask a question?” Agent Christopher asked as the techies stepped away. The Logan sisters nodded, and she gestured between Wyatt and Flynn. “How much longer do I have to deal with these two hating each other?”

That earned her glares from the two men and a smile from Lucy.

“They get over themselves in a few years,” Elizabeth grinned. “Can’t tell you how though. It’ll be more fun if you wait.”

“Thank god,” Agent Christopher sighed.

Flynn rolled his eyes and stalked off to examine the new Lifeboat.

“He gives dad a run for his money in the brooding category sometimes,” Amy mumbled (not so quietly) to her sister.

“Hey!” Wyatt’s offended tone sent Lucy into a fit of laughter, and their daughters joined in. Even Agent Christopher cracked a smile.

Despite the emotional hell that had been the last few days - weeks, really - Lucy was finally feeling a bit better. It was terrifying to know their battle with Rittenhouse wasn’t even close to over. But sitting here, with her family she didn’t quite have yet ( _ _d_ amn, her life was weird_) she felt at peace. It was like sneaking a look at the end of a book, but only catching a glimpse of the page. You might know what’s coming, but you don’t know how you’re going to get there.

“Can we ask if we ever get out of this bunker?” Wyatt asked once the laughter had died down.

“I can answer that one,” Agent Christopher cut in. “Jessica knows where we are. Therefore, Rittenhouse knows where we are. I’m already in the process of finding us a new base of operations. We’ll be out of here not long after we get Rufus back.”

“Another bunker?” Lucy wondered aloud. “Or will we get to live above ground this time?”

Agent Christopher deflected the question to their guests from the future. The girls shared a glance before Amy shrugged.

“Above ground,” Elizabeth informed them. “Much less rust.”

“Is that where you two are still based out of?”

“Can’t answer that one.”

Agent Christopher’s phone buzzed, and she excused herself to take the call in another room. Lucy eyed the women in front of her, unable to hold back another question.

“Is Sherwin the same age as you?”

“Same age,” Elizabeth confirmed. “Sorry in advance for the triple dose of terrible twos.”

“Do we get to know your middle names?”

“Amy Alice.”

“Elizabeth Grace and Sherwin Henry.”

Lucy felt tears slip down her cheeks, and Wyatt tightened his grip around her.

“Mom?” Amy looked worried.

“I’m fine,” Lucy brushed her tears away while Wyatt rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “This is just really … bizarre.”

“We really are sorry to have to drop all of this on you,” Amy continued. “But if it means getting Rufus back -”

“It’s worth it,” Wyatt assured her. “It is 100% worth it. It’s just … it’s a lot to take in. We’ll be fine. Not the first time our world has been rocked by time travel. I’m assuming it probably won’t be the last.”

“No matter what crazy shit happens - you two always manage to figure it out,” Elizabeth assured her parents. “We know things are weird, to say the least - but we know how much you two love each other.”

“And we know neither of you are in particularly good places right now - but your future selves hoped seeing us would help clarify some things,” Amy added. “Maybe keep you from wasting too much time.”

“Thing aren’t going to be easy,” Elizabeth smirked. “Dad still makes some dumb choices and mom will get mad. And it goes both ways. But you two are a team. Always have been, always will be.”

Lucy looked up to find Wyatt already watching her, a storm of emotions brewing in his blue eyes. She had said they could talk later … but maybe they needed to do this now. Maybe it would help them process whatever the hell was happening. She quietly excused herself from the table, Wyatt just behind her. He followed her down the hall, letting her guide him to his room. A slight sense of unease crept through her when the door shut behind Wyatt, closing them in the room he had shared with Jessica. She sat at the table tucked into the corner beside the door, rather than taking a seat on the bed. Wyatt collapsed into the chair beside her, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

“You doing okay?” his voice was laced with concern.

“I guess?” she sighed. “I don’t even know what to think anymore. This time travel mess is confusing.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Where do we even start?” Lucy chuckled sadly. “I mean … we had one night. One amazing night. Then it was gone. And then she was Rittenhouse. She left. And now you and I have triplets?”

“Lucy …”

“What is even happening?”

“I wish I could answer that,” he sighed, sitting up to brush a strand of hair out of Lucy’s eyes. “I wish I could take back the last few weeks. I never meant to hurt you.”

“Wyatt you don’t have to -”

“Hang on,” he gently cut her off. “Just … can I try and get what I’m thinking off my chest? I don’t know if it’ll help or make it worse but I feel like you should hear it.” He waited until she nodded before continuing. “I wanted to choose you, Lucy. I swear to you I did. I just … when I saw her name on my phone I panicked. I needed to know if it was real. I felt like -” he paused, trying to come up with the right words - “I felt like I owed her something. And that is no excuse for what I put you through. I’ll never be able to apologize enough for the pain I have caused you. But you are it for me, Lucy. I love you. You’re my lightning bolt from the heavens. You’ve made me a better man, and I’ve caused you pain in return. But if you’re willing to give me a second chance I will spend every day proving to you how much I love you.”

Lucy didn’t know how to respond to that. She loved him too, of course. She’d tried not to and failed miserably. He’d found his way into her heart 182 years ago when he’d managed to still be her protector when he was in the middle of a PTSD flashback in the middle of the Alamo. Then again almost a century later in a backwoods Arkansas cabin with Bonnie and Clyde. Every time they stepped into that Lifeboat - no matter what was happening between them - he was her protector. He shielded her from gunfire, kept a guiding hand on her back when she was lost, and was quick to catch her when she stumbled.

None of those feelings changed when Jessica was thrust back into their lives. And when looked back over those few missions when Jessica had been in their lives - Wyatt was still always there. Even when they were in the bunker, she could feel his watchful eyes making sure she was okay. She had tried to ignore it, but it never really worked.

“Wyatt …” she finally breathed. “I love you too. More than you probably know. I’m just scared.”

“So am I,” he reached out to grasp her hands in his. “I have done nothing but mess things up. And it sounds like that’s a talent I keep with me through the years. But you are the one constant thing in my life and I don’t intend on letting that go, if you’re okay with it.”

“You’re my one constant too,” she gave him a weak smile. “So please … just talk to me next time something big happens, okay? Don’t be a reckless hot head and try to tackle it all on your own.”

“Yes ma’am,” he promised with a smile.

The nickname she once hated combined with his smile was enough to comfort her remaining fears for now. She knew they had a long way to go before they were back to those glorious few hours they shared in 1941, but it was a road she was willing to travel down. As long as he was there, it was worth it.

Wyatt took a deep breath. “Ready to go back out there? Apparently we have a third kid to meet.”

“God our lives are weird,” Lucy mumbled.

Wyatt offered her a hand and helped her to her feet. Before he could push open the door Lucy stopped him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a soft kiss against his lips. His arms instinctively looped around her waist and pulled her closer against his chest. A few heartbeats later he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers.

“I love you Lucy. So much.”

“I love you too. Now - let’s go get Rufus back.”

He opened the door, and followed her back to the main silo. The rest of the group had gathered around the two Lifeboats.

“Just in time,” Elizabeth exclaimed upon seeing her parents. “We’re ready to take off.”

“One last heads up before we go,” Amy added. “To avoid any time travel side effects, we can’t return to this exact day. We won’t be back for a week, in your timeline.”

“Be safe out there,” Jiya warned them. “Chinatown is dangerous.”

“We know,” the sisters said in unison. Jiya smiled.

“We’ll be back soon, we promise,” Elizabeth smiled. “Try not to go stir crazy.”

“We’ve been here for months,” Flynn grumbled. “I think we can survive another week.”

Lucy rushed forward to hug each girl, taking them by surprise.

“You had all better make it back in one piece. Sherwin too.”

“We will,” Amy assured her, then added quietly for just her: “Sherwin is dad made over. He’s kept us safe on many missions, and he’ll make sure Rufus is safe.”

Lucy nodded and let them go, returning to Wyatt’s side. They watched the girls climb back into the upgraded Lifeboat, waving one last time before the hatch slid shut. The remaining group took a few steps back as the rings started to spin. It vanished with a whoosh of air, and silence fell over the bunker.

“So what do we do now?” Connor finally asked.

“Now we wait,” Agent Christopher replied.

* * *

 

 The next few days passed by agonizingly slow.

Connor and Jiya were practically glued to the Lifeboat as they began to map out the upgrades they could make to the beaten up time machine. Agent Christopher returned once a day, assuring them she was still hunting for a new safe house. In the meantime, she assigned Lucy, Wyatt and Flynn to research duty. They spent their days sifting through the never ending files collected by Lucy’s grandfather.

Wyatt and Lucy fell into a comfortable routine of hovering right around that invisible line between friendship and something more. He made sure her coffee was ready to go in the mornings when she stumbled out of the room she shared with Jiya. When he found her in front of the ancient TV in the middle of the night she’d snuggle up to his side until she fell asleep, and he’d carry her back to her room. He nearly drew the line at her offering to help clear out some of Jessica’s things from his room - he didn’t want to put her through that - but she said it would be good for __both__  of them, so together they boxed up the few things she left behind and let Agent Christopher handle the rest.

They were side-by-side in the kitchen making lunch when the familiar rush of air blew through the bunker, signaling the arrival of the upgrade Lifeboat. They abandoned their food and rushed to the silo, the rest of the bunker right on their heels. Wyatt noticed Lucy tense up, so he reached for her hand.

“They’re okay,” he assured her with a smile, gently stroking the side of her hand with his thumb.

The rings finally stopped spinning, and the hatch slid open - revealing a bewildered looking Rufus.

“Uh … hey guys!” he smiled, giving them an awkward wave.

“Rufus!” Jiya cried and rushed forward, colliding into his chest the moment the pilot jumped to the ground. “You’re really okay?”

“A little confused, but very okay.”

Lucy was clearly unable to wait any longer and rushed forward to join the hug, with Wyatt only a few heartbeats behind her. It wasn’t until he let go that he noticed the three smiles looking down at them from the lifeboat.

“You three okay?” he asked.

“We’re good,” Elizabeth promised. “Much better now.”

Lucy spun around at the sound of her daughter’s voice, but Jiya took the words out of her mouth:

“Thank you,” the techie wiped a tear from her cheek. “Thank you so much for this. You guys have no idea-”

“Actually if anybody knows it’s probably them,” Rufus cut Jiya off with a chuckle.

“Seeing as you just came back from the dead I’ll give you a pass on that one,” Jiya laughed; Rufus wrapped his arm tightly around her waist and kissed the top of her head before moving to hug Connor and Agent Christopher. “Still. Thank you. We owe you three big time.”

“No trouble at all, ma’am,” Sherwin assured her; Lucy’s eyes widened when she heard the familiar phrase.

“Oh my god,” Rufus laughed loudly as he returned to Jiya, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Yep. Definitely Wyatt’s kid.”

The young soldier smiled shyly as he and his sisters jumped out of the Lifeboat. Lucy felt her breath catch - the girls hadn’t been kidding. Sherwin was almost a carbon-copy of Wyatt - from the bright blue eyes to the smile to his tall, lean figure. The only difference was the dark brown hair he clearly inherited from Lucy.

“Thank you,” Lucy echoed Jiya’s earlier emotion, rushing forward to hug Sherwin. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem mom,” the young man chuckled. “But you’re kind of crushing me.”

“Some things never change,” Amy shared a knowing glance with her sister.

“You’re all okay?” Lucy asked, finally letting go of Sherwin.

“We’re good,” Elizabeth assured her. “We were well trained for this job.”

“I would hope so,” Wyatt mumbled, stepping forward to stand beside Lucy. “Still find it hard to believe we actually let you get into this business.”

“You do realized they’re _you_ , right?” Agent Christopher scoffed. “Have you ever tried telling the two of you what to do?”

There was a chorus of agreements from the rest of the team and laughs from the future trio. Wyatt scratched the back of his neck awkwardly while Lucy’s face turned a light shade of pink.

“So now that we’re all here … can somebody explain to me why these three had to sneak a kevlar vest back to the 1800s to save me? What happened in the other timeline?”

“Emma,” Jiya grumbled, her voice laced with hatred.

“Yeah, I got that,” Rufus smiled, kissing the top of her head. “Pretty sure I have a lovely bruise from her bullet. These three gave me the basic rundown. But what I mean is - what happened _after_ I … died? Lucy looks like she took one hell of a beating - no offense. Flynn doesn’t look much better. Wyatt _still_ looks guilty and I’m literally standing right here.”

“And I think this is where we take our leave,” Amy said gently. “You all have a lot to discuss.”

“You’re leaving already?” Wyatt didn’t bother to try and hide his surprise. He had hoped the trio would stick around, even if the whole situation felt weird. He still felt connected to them. Even felt protective of them.

“We need to get back and make sure our timelines haven’t been affected too much,” Sherwin explained. Wyatt felt like there was something they weren’t sharing, but he knew better than to ask. It was either a classified part of their mission or something they wouldn’t be able to answer about their future. Or both.

“And you probably already know this but I have to say it anyway - you can’t tell us about this mission,” Elizabeth continued for her brother. “You’ll have to wait until we come to you when we get back.”

Rufus complained about having to keep the secret, earning lighthearted glares from his friends (“Top secret project Rufus,” Wyatt sighed.) Jiya rushed forward to hug the Logan siblings, thanking them again and again. Rufus, Agent Christopher, Connor and even Flynn stepped forward next to share their thanks before everyone politely excused themselves to give the family a moment alone.

“You really can’t stay?” Lucy’s eyes danced between the trio in front of here. “Not even for a night?”

“Sorry,” Sherwin sighed, the guilt evident on his face. “We would if we could. But you know the mission rules. No lingering in the past. That doesn’t change in the future.”

“Plus I’m sure - even though we aren’t crossing over our own timeline - we’re breaking _some_ sort of rule by doing this,” Amy chuckled.

“You’ll see us again eventually,” Elizabeth grinned; Wyatt felt like there was more behind that smile than she was letting on, but he once again resisted the urge to ask.

“Thank you,” Wyatt placed a hand on Sherwin’s shoulder. “We’ll never be able to say it enough. You have given us back our best friend.”

“How do you even say goodbye to kids you haven’t had yet?” Lucy was fighting back tears now.

“You don’t,” Sherwin assured her, pulling her into a hug. “You’ll see us again. Try not to worry too much.”

“Uh, you do realize _who_ you’re speaking to, right?”

Elizabeth’s comment earned her an elbow to the ribs from Amy. Wyatt laughed and stepped over to hug the two young women.

“You three stay safe out there, alright?”

“Always do,” Amy promised. “You should take your own advice.”

“I’m always careful,” Wyatt snorted.

Sherwin coughed something that sounded a lot like ‘Kennedy,’ making Lucy laugh. The family traded another round of hugs before the siblings made their way back up into their Lifeboat.

“We’ll see you on the other side,” Sherwin promised with a smile. “I’ll keep these two safe, and you keep each other safe.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Wyatt wrapped his arm around Lucy’s shoulders.

The hatch slid closed and the rings started to spin. Wyatt took a step back, gently pulling Lucy along with him. A few heartbeats later the Lifeboat disappeared.

“Think they’ll be okay?”

“They were trained by us,” Wyatt answered, placing a kiss on her temple. “They’ll be fine.”

“Sherwin is definitely well trained, I can promise you that.”

The pair spun to see Rufus and Jiya stepping into the makeshift living room.

“Not only does he look like Wyatt, but his soldier mode is 100% Wyatt too,” Rufus explained. “It was super bizarre to see. Made believing him easy though.”

“It’s good to have you back man,” Wyatt smiled.

“Good to be back. Now are you all going to tell me what happened?”

“Where’s everybody else?” Lucy asked, glancing behind them.

“Giving us a moment,” Jiya explained. “Flynn’s still a bit new to this team, so Agent Christopher is keeping him and Connor occupied for a few minutes.”

“So - what the hell happened?” Rufus asked again.

Wyatt gestured toward the living room. Rufus sat on the sofa, with Jiya tucked against his side. Wyatt and Lucy claimed the chairs opposite them.

“So everything is still the same up until we left for Chinatown, right?” Lucy asked.

“Jessica being Rittenhouse and kidnapping Jiya?” Rufus filled in. Wyatt winced, but Rufus kept going: “Still happened. My Chinatown experience is now Sherwin finding me when we separated for clothes. He made me put on the vest, and warned me about the shoot out. He said I would die if I didn’t take it. Told me I needed to fake my death - still can’t believe that worked. He set the bar on fire -”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah that’s why you guys couldn’t come back for my body,” Rufus continued. “Otherwise I’m not sure I would have been able to pull of this stunt. You two know I can’t act, like at all. Anyway - he saved me from inside the bar. By the time the fire was out, I’m assuming you - or at least, the other versions of you - couldn’t find my body. Sherwin got me out of the city and then the girls showed up - three kids, by the way? Holy cow. No idea how you two managed that. Anway - they got me out of there and now here I am. It’s been a seriously weird day for me.”

“For us, you’ve been gone a week,” Jiya informed him.

“Hey wait -” Lucy was finally putting some of the pieces together in her head. “We didn’t time travel while you were gone. Why don’t we remember the bar fire? Wouldn’t our memories have changed?”

“They had a theory about that, but they didn’t explain it to me. Something about not giving away too much? I don’t know,” Rufus shrugged. “Probably some crazy future technology Connor will come up with. Who knows what year they were from. They looked to be in their mid-20’s … so even if you two had them like next year, that’s still quite a few years down the road. If Connor can invent time travel, who knows what he’s working on now. But now it’s your turn - what happened in _your_ timeline?”

“Uh, well …” Wyatt shared a look with the women. They nodded, letting him take the lead. “After Emma shot you, Lucy chased off after her. Flynn followed, but he was shot in the arm so he was a bit behind.”

“You didn’t go after her?” Rufus’ eyes went wide. “I mean - I know things are weird because of Jessica … but you let Flynn go with her?”

“I made him stay,” Jiya explained, her eyes watering at the memory. “He was trying to stop the bleeding.”

“Lucy managed to land a shot in Emma’s leg, but she still fought back,” Wyatt continued, a wave of hatred for Emma washing over him. Lucy had told him what happened one night while they were curled up on the couch. The next time Wyatt had a clear shot at Emma he was taking it, historical impacts be damned. That woman had caused too much pain in his life. “By the time we met up with Lucy and Flynn there was nothing to do but come home.”

“The other Lifeboat showed up the next day,” Lucy finished for Wyatt. “And now here we are.”

“And how are you two doing?” Rufus asked with a crooked smile. “I can’t imagine seeing your three kids you haven’t had yet was exactly easy. Especially with the whole Jessica situation.”

“Not the first time our world has been rocked by time travel,” Lucy echoed Wyatt’s explanation to their future kids. “Although this one does take the cake.”

“We’ve still got a lot to talk about but we’ll be okay,” Wyatt reached over to lace his fingers with Lucy’s. “According to the kids - man that is weird to say - I’m still an idiot in the future, so some things never change.”

“Lizzy kept calling me ‘Uncle Rufus.’ Apparently I’m the fun uncle they run to when you try and ground them.”

“Try?” Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

“They’re half you and half Wyatt. That’s a dangerous mix of trouble and stubbornness. Good luck with that.”

“Remember that when we recruit you for babysitting,” Wyatt smirked.

“Good god our lives are weird,” Lucy sighed, causing the group to fall into a fit of laughter.

“So we’re all good?” Rufus asked once they calmed down. “The team’s back together?”

Rufus didn’t need to elaborate - Wyatt knew what he was asking. “No more trying to take things on solo,” he promised. “Clear communication, from here on out.”

“Thank god,” Rufus sighed. “Now - let’s go get the others. I’m curious to hear what Connor has already planned out for our Lifeboat. And if Lucy did land a bullet in Emma’s leg - hopefully we have a few more days to work before they start trying to ruin history again.”

Rufus and Jiya wandered off, leaving Lucy and Wyatt alone once again.

“Doing okay?” he asked, gently stroking his thumb along the side of her hand.

“Still in some weird state of shock, but otherwise alright.”

“Whatever happens next, I’m here for you. We figure this mess out together, alright?”

Lucy nodded, and Wyatt brought their joined hands up to place a kiss on her fingers. They were both aware of issues they still needed to iron out, but at the moment neither of them cared. Lucy could see the determination in his eyes. The emotion. And when she thought back over the last few weeks, she realized those things had always been there.

There were things she was still upset about, but they could talk about that later. After the emotional roller coaster that was the past week, she was just thankful to have him by her side. Thankful to be closer, like they had been before Hollywood. Knowing what was ahead of them was some bizarre mix of terrifying and exciting. And knowing he would be there for all of it was a relief.

“Let’s go see what’s next for the team,” she smiled.

He stood, and pulled her against his chest. Her arms wove around his neck, while his wrapped tightly around her waist as he kissed her. He only pulled away when a lack of oxygen demanded it. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before finally letting go of her.

“Ready when you are ma’am.”


End file.
